The present invention relates to the sector of washing and drying of containers used in the chemical/pharmaceutical and food industries and in any industry where high standards of hygiene and washing efficiency are required.
At present, the containers to be washed are normally placed inside special enclosures, usually known as wash booths, equipped with spray nozzles for treating the inside and outside of the containers, and with hot air nozzles for drying them.
These systems, however, offer relatively low drying efficiency and have a high energy requirement for effective drying.
Also, the hot air used to dry the container, although it removes the residual wash water, heats the container as well as the surrounding environment, resulting in a considerable waste of energy.
Further, prior art booths are relatively complex in the performance of the washing and drying steps, which means that the overall operating cycle is considerably slow.
Another disadvantage of prior art wash booths is the irregularity of the inside walls of the booth, especially where the door is, which makes it difficult to properly drain off all the used wash water which in turn makes it more difficult to clean the booth itself for subsequent use.
The trade therefore strongly feels the need for a container wash booth with improved efficiency that can perform a complete washing and drying cycle with minimum energy consumption.
The need is also felt for a wash booth that is quick and easy to dry so it is ready to be used again, even to wash containers of different products.